title: Changes in volatile, sensory and microbial profiles during preparation of smoked ewe cheese.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Oscypek is a special type of Polish smoked ewe cheese with a unique flavour described as slightly sour, piquant, salted and smoked. In this study the volatile, sensory and microbial profiles of Oscypek cheese were analysed during its various preparation stages of curding, scalding, brining and smoking.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The smoked ewe cheese was characterised by 54 volatile compounds belonging to nine different chemical groups (free fatty acids, esters, ketones, alcohols, aldehydes, furans/furanones, phenols, sulfur compounds, terpenes). The sensory aroma profile analysis of unsmoked and smoked cheese showed an important correlation with the analysis of volatile compounds. The microbial profile data indicated that in smoked cheese such as Oscypek the levels of selected bacteria diminished after the curding stage as a result of the subsequent scalding, brining and smoking stages.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  From the results it can be concluded that, although the analysed smoked cheese consisted of three groups of compounds, the first derived from biochemical reactions (free fatty acids, esters, ketones, alcohols, aldehydes, sulfur compounds), the second from smoking (furans and furanones, phenols) and the third from milk flavour (terpenes), it is the smoking process that mainly influences its typical flavour.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 31, PL-60-624 Poznań, Poland. majcherm@up.poznan.pl
authors.forename: Małgorzata A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Majcher
authors.forename: Kamila
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Goderska
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pikul
authors.forename: Henryk H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Jeleń
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria; D002611:Cheese / Q000032:analysis* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D009812:Odorants; D012756:Sheep; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds